02414 -- Scott Stephenson Eastern Echo Scholarship: This expendable scholarship is for the benefit of student(s) in the School of Communication, Media & Theater Arts in the College of Arts & Sciences. It will be awarded to a full or part-time junior or senior EMU student majoring in journalism and working for the Eastern Echo. The student should be working to self-finance their education and not be eligible for need-based grants.

“We continue to support roughly 300 students remaining in campus housing- because it is the only home they have right now. These include international students, whose home nation will not permit their return; students who have immune-compromised individuals in their permanent place of residence, creating undue risk of bringing COVID-19 into their habitat; and others, such as graduate students, who have made Eastern their home for the next several years while they complete their studies.” Smith said.

In an interview with The Echo, President Smith explained that graduate students who have made EMU their permanent residence “would certainly be in that pool of individuals who will stay” as well as international students who cannot return to their home country.

“I just had a conversation with a student yesterday who desperately wants to go home. She is a resident of a country in the Middle East but they’re only bringing back students in limited numbers so she is waiting for her place in the queue, and as soon as she can go back she will,” Smith said. “So we’ll have to make some provisions for those students as well.”

As of now, EMU has not outlined what these exact provisions will be. With uncertain and varying circumstances, President Smith said that EMU is “working with” those students who have asked to stay on campus for the Summer 2020 semester.